Quebec Jews Seek Right to Keep Own Registers of Marriages, Births, Deaths

February 20, 1962

QUEBEC CITY (Feb. 19)

Harry Blank, the only Jewish member of the provincial legislative assembly of Quebec, suggested to the Provincial Parliament’s Private Committee today that the civil code should be amended to give Jewish religious bodies the same rights to keep rigsters of births, deaths and marriages as those enjoyed by Catholic and Protestant churches.

Under the code, he pointed out, only Christian churches can keep such registers without the express permission of legislature. The religious institutions of other faiths must obtain such permission through a private bill. It is his opinion that such right should come automatically once a synagogue is incorporated under provincial law.

Synagogues customarily seek incorporation in the Quebec province for the purposes of holding property and running schools. The provision for keeping registers of marriages is considered particularly important in the province since there are no civil marriages in Quebec and Jews are customarily married under Jewish religious law and registered in a synagogue record.